Have you ever called in sick for lack of sleep?

[MinnieMountain]

I’m seriously considering it. I went to bed at my usual time of 10pm but was still awake at 12:30 and woke up at 4:30.

I frequently email my manager in the early hours to let him know I need to work from home due to lack of sleep. However, I have a chronic illness and thankfully work in a medical environment where that is acknowledged and understood.

Only you can say how shattered you are and if it will impact on your work - but I'd always put myself first, and if you've had a particularly bad night I would say yes, stay home and rest.

4 hours should be entirely doable.

The only cases where it might even be a question would be for a professional driver/pilot or a surgeon!

But even then, there's been research that has said that if we generally get enough sleep that we recover incredibly quickly from one night of poor sleep.

I'm currently in bed with a heavy cold (I think? I need to do a test) which is due to compounded lack of sleep, and then a lowered immune system. Lack of sleep has been particularly bad for the last 7 days, and due to menapause and anxiety. Think 2 hours one night, 4 the next, 2, 3, etc etc. I have a 50 mile round trip to work and back on the motorway. Yesterday evening I was on autopilot driving and half asleep. It was bloody dangerous tbh.

OP if you feel dreadful, take time off, it's about how you feel.

I have once but I had done a 12.5 hour shift then had absolutely zero sleep that night due to anxiety..the next day I had another 12.5 hour shift and I just could not function..had been awake for over 48 hours at that point and I work in job where I could kill someone with a mistake..I would go in if I slept for a solid 4 hours though..that's pretty standard for me tbh.

Yes, when I had a baby who didn’t sleep and no support. I wouldn’t call in sick on the back of that night, but I did on runs of them. It’s awful, and it’s not like it’s in your control.

Depends if you feel better after shower coffee etc. I have done when I've been run down working shifts but I had 2 hours sleep and had a 10 hour shift in front as well as a drive to and from. In my mind I wasnt safe to drive and I wasnt able to make crucial and dangerous decisions at work. Only happened once though. I do tend to book leave and just sleep to catch up which isnt ideal.